On Wednesday morning, a neighbor discovered the body of Rick Couch, a disabled masonry worker, inside his North 16th Street home. By Wednesday afternoon, Lafayette police had arrested a suspect in the killing.

Police arrested James Bixler, 25, of Lafayette on a charge of murder. Authorities said nothing about a potential motive for the killing of the 53-year-old described by family members and friends as a good-natured neighbor without any enemies. Nor would they even officially identify Couch as the victim, pending the results of an autopsy scheduled for Thursday.

But family members and the neighbor who found his body, Kevin Barrett, confirmed that Couch was the victim.

"To me, it looked like he was beat to death," said Barrett, who went to check on his neighbor and discovered a grisly and bloody scene. He called 911 about 9:10 a.m., according to police.

"I walked over there; the door was already wide open," Barrett said. "I took three steps in and seen Rick. … It looked like he had black eyes, and his head looked a little swollen."

Of the neighbors in the 1500 block of North 16h Street interviewed by the Journal & Courier, only Barrett heard anything unsettling overnight.

"I heard the dog barking at 2 o'clock in the morning," he said, "so I was assuming that's when whatever happened happened in there."

"I could hear it was a muffled bark," he said. "The dog wasn't outside."

The news spread quickly as police cars congregated in the working-class neighborhood across from St. Joseph Cemetery.

A few hours later, Couch left his house for the last time, his body shrouded and on a gurney. Couch's family and friends -– daughters Kasey Price and Felicia Couch, sister Karen Moore, lifelong friend Melvin Linback and ex-wife Lynne Couch – huddled together nearby, watching helplessly and desperate for details.

A 1-year-old boy found inside Couch's house was unharmed and wasn't one of Couch's grandchildren. Police said the boy was reunited with his mother Wednesday morning.

"We have no idea why the child was here," Felicia Couch said.

Chief among the family's questions is why anyone would want to harm Couch.

"He didn't fight anyone," Moore said of her brother, who was a man of limited means. "He'd give you anything. There's no reason to hurt him."

"His daughter took him to get food at a food bank," Linback said, "and there was a woman with no food, so he gave it to her."

Family, friends and neighbors conceded that Couch wasn't without faults. He drank – often to excess. But he was cheerful when he imbibed, and he never found fault with others, Linback said.

"When he drank, he was happy," Moore said.

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Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police speak with residents as they investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police speak with residents as they investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police speak with residents as they investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police (background right) investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police investigate the scene after the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Police remove a dog from the area as they investigate the scene where the body of a man was discovered around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2014, in the 1500 block of N. 16th Street. John Terhune/Journal & Courier John Terhune/Journal & Courier

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As the investigation stretched into the afternoon, some of the neighbors worried about their safety.

"It's just scary," Cassandra Musik said before learning of the arrest in the case. "I have little children. To think, so close to home. I feel like I can't even sit outside of my house late at night."

Barrett wondered about his neighborhood, too.

"I don't feel threatened," he said, "but I would like to know what happened just to make sure it's an isolated case."

Couch had been disabled for a few years, and he had no insurance or savings, Price said. Family members tossed out ideas of how they might pay for a funeral.

"He was a good father and provider," Couch's ex-wife said. "He was a good man. He loved his kids and grandkids. There wasn't nothing he wouldn't have done for them."

Bixler, the suspect in the killing, was charged in June with Class D felony residential entry, Class A misdemeanor criminal trespassing and Class B misdemeanor criminal mischief.

The felony charge was dropped on Aug. 4, when he pleaded guilty to the two misdemeanors. Tippecanoe Superior Court 5 Judge Les Meade accepted the deal, imposed a $500 fine and gave Bixler an 18-month sentence, all of it suspended to probation, except the time he'd already spent in jail.